Madres de Plaza de Mayo

I am on my last week in Buenos Aires. There are still so many things I want to do in the city. I definitely feel like I am at a weird point in the trip. The past couple of weeks I have such a whirl of emotions. Some days I can't wait to get back to the United States where there's no dog poop on the street, customer service, or just plain efficiency. But at the same time, I know once I get back I will miss the city...especially the night life. Bars close at 2am in the states - that seems so lame in comparison! We go out at 2am!

It also doesn't help my weird mood that I sprained my ankle...again. (Yes the same one as last time). This time I was running. I was just furious because I was on my block! I literally was about to finish my run when I crossed my street and stepped on the curb the wrong way.

It took about 5 seconds to swell to that size.

I am just trying to stay positive because I am going to Salta for a week after the program. I figure I will have plenty of time to let it heal this summer in Maryland and Ann Arbor.

Last Thursday I finally went to the Plaza de Mayo for the Mothers protest. Every Thursday mothers of the desaparecidos (disappeared) march in front of the President's house. These women have been protesting every week since the 1970s. It is truly amazing the devotion they have to their children. 

The last picture is from a different organization separate from the mothers. They are also trying to find out answers about their lost children during the 1970s.

On Friday, my history class took a field trip to ESMA (the military school). This is where they took the disappeared people. They would torture them there and then push the majority of them out of airplanes above the ocean. Dead bodies started showing up on the coast of Uruguay and Argentina. The military even took pregnant women and gave their newborns to new families for adoption. My host mom told me her boyfriend was taken for 40 days, but was fortunate enough to return. The majority of people who disappeared did not come back.

ESMA

It is hard to truly wrap my head around what happened in Argentina during this time period. 

On a lighter note, I went to my first rugby game. I literally had no idea what was going on. They would randomly punt the ball or lift one guy up in the air. I'm still pretty confused about the rules. One nice thing about the sport is the men are gorgeous.

Tomorrow I am going to barrio Chino with my intercambio friend (We speak half the time in English and half the time in Spanish). Barrio Chino is their equivalent of Chinatown. 

With that I leave you with a picture of Avenida 9 de Julio. This is one of the longest streets in the world. It literally has 4 stop lights and it normally takes me at least two stoplights to pass through the whole thing. This is a view from my school.

 

Iguazú Falls

Last weekend I finally made the trip to Iguazú Falls. It is the quintessential tourist destination in Argentina. It feels like just yesterday I created my blog and made Jake include the picture of Iguazú as my background.
The first time I tried to go with my family but our flight was cancelled. This time I went with Alana and Alexa, two girls from my program.

The trip could not have gone smoother. Alexa kept telling me it was good karma for my first attempt to the cataratas (waterfalls).

I knew we were in for a treat with this view from the plane.

Alana, Alexa, and I were able to use our Argentine citizens and receive a 60 pesos ($15) discount on our park tickets. I always love the reaction we receive when we tell people we are citizens of Argentina.  

Las chicas en Iguazú

We went to the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s throat) first. 

Alexa told me back in the 1950s they allowed tourists to take a raft to the edge of the falls to get a picture. Finally, one day the current was too strong and a group of German tourists plunged to their death in la Garganta del Diablo. I guess that’s a cool way to go out…

Now I can technically say I saw Brazil and Paraguay. Too bad both countries require a visa to visit.

I will say I was very guilty of taking as many pictures as possible with rainbows and waterfalls.

 I have never been to Niagara Falls but according to Eleanor Roosevelt they are not as amazing. Apparently when she saw Iguazú Falls she said "poor Niagara." 

And with that I have two weeks left to enjoy Buenos Aires and then one week in Salta. The past semester has gone by incredibly fast.

Lujan

Last Thursday I spotted my first robbery. I was running to meet up with Lawrence and Megan when I had to wait at the stoplight. Then I heard a glass break, a woman scream, and a man with a motorcycle helmet casually hop on his getaway and speed through the recently turned green stoplight. Cars around the crime honked, but for the most part all the pedestrians were just watching with their mouths open wide (me included). There was really nothing we could do; his friend was waiting with the motorcycle. It was definitely one of the most interesting things I have ever seen...and scariest.     Last weekend IES provided a free field trip to Lujan. 

Our itinerary broke down to 10 minutes inside the church, 10 minutes at the museum, and a 3 hour lunch. They really know how to plan a day. I have never been so full in my life. We were given empanadas, appetizers, salads, pasta dish, meat dish, and every type of dessert. 

After lunch we went to the farm to look at the animals we just ate. I really could have done without seeing the rabbit bunnies I just tried at lunch :( 

After the farm we went to a mushroom farm. In case we were still hungry they served us mushrooms. How could I resist? I literally could not eat dinner that night. 

Also last weekend my host family had a huge family dinner. We had so much funny listening to the beatles, queen, creedence clearwater revival, and many other favorites. One of the cousins made everyone at the table sing a solo. It was great practice for my spanish (minus the singing in english). 

My host mom and her beautiful artwork.

 I also decided I want to put a couple more pictures of my host family up since they are such a large part of my abroad experience.

Ronnie is so fascinated by the the shower tile.

 And finally my favorite t-shirts. They obviously do not make any sense but they are wonderful.

"The Love, Girls Only, We Love Heart"

One Month Left

Today is May 24th, which means I have exactly one month left in Argentina. Where have the past three months gone? Now I really feel the pressure to do everything in the city. It is easy to forget you are still partially a tourist when you are living here for such a long time.

My flight is July 3rd...I will be home just in time for July 4th. I plan on taking one last trip at the end of the program. I am either going to Salta or Chile. Everyday I change my mind. I really wish I could go to both, but they are a 20 hour bus ride from each other. I also would love to go to Bariloche, but there is just not enough time. I will definitely have to return to Patagonia one day. Its funny... a year ago, I thought Patagonia was just a brand like North Face.

Last weekend I stayed in Buenos Aires. I really like the weekends I stay in the city because there is so much to do. We finally went to this new club called Bahrein. There were two floors so when we got bored of one scene we just went upstairs to try something new. We also got in for free with these coupons. Now that I only have one month I want to try new bars and boliches.

On Friday, I went to the free cooking class provided by IES. It was awesome to see this chef make empanadas, dulce de leche dessert, steak, and other delicious food. At the end of the class we all got to try some of everything. I plan on using the empanada recipe in the United States and cooking for my friends. I really do miss cooking here. 

The carne for the empanadas.

They let us fill the empanadas.

Dulce de Leche dessert

I finally ventured to the Salon for the first time. Waxing is incredibly cheap here. I have always wanted to get my legs waxed, but I never wanted to pay for it. It was only $7 here! They also do not use paper here, but honey wax. It was quite the surprise when she yanked the wax off. I think it hurt a lot less than the American method.

Today I explored the wool district in Palermo. I was so proud of myself for getting home from Palermo. For someone without a sense of direction, it is amazing how far I have come from the first couple of weeks. I did not have a map or my guia t (the guide of all the bus routes) and I managed to find the subway. Anyway I bought some wool to start making a scarf. This girl knits every spanish class and I have been extremely envious. I really miss knitting.

 Time to celebrate the feriado (holiday) - no class manana!!

Tandil

This past weekend I took my first IES field trip to Tandil. It was a nice relaxing weekend away from the city. Tandil is only five hours from Buenos Aires. Apparently the name Tan dil mean falling rock in Mapuche.

We left early on Friday morning. We stopped for lunch at an Asado (Barbecue). I ate so much I was still full for dinner. We literally ate every type of meat. It was one of the most delicious meals I have had in Argentina.

Afterward we drove to see a view of the city. 

I was not expecting a real city when I signed up for a hiking trip. It was interesting to see a pretty large city right next to farmlands and hills.

The next day we woke up and hiked all day. It was a great opportunity to spend time with other students I haven't met before. I also finally got a chance to talk to some of the staff and practice Spanish.

At night we went to a cheese fondue restaurant for dinner. Naturally we had to order wine.

The next day we visited the famous "moving rock." Well it turns out there used to be a famous rock that would rock back and forth. It finally fell in 1912 and split into two pieces. In 2007 the city decided to recreate the rock and glue it into place.

Here is a picture of the fake rock.

The idea is cool in theory - but it seemed kind of silly to visit a fake rock.

On Sunday we went to an ecological park and walked around. 

 

 

 

Adorable

At the top of the mountain we saw another view of the city and horses. 

When we came down from the mountain we had one last amazing meal. We had guiso (stew) and plenty of meat. They love their meat here in Argentina.

For dessert I splurged on some chocolate ice cream.

After lunch we took a ski lift up to the top of the mountain for more walking and picture time. It was kind of the theme of the trip.

Overall it was a nice, relaxing trip. But now I am ready to spend some time in Buenos Aires. I feel like I am always traveling.

Sunday night I went to plaza Serrano with some friends to celebrate my 21st birthday! It was exactly how I imagined a 21st birthday to be. After the plaza we found a club (even on a Sunday night - this city really does not sleep). We finished the night off with pizza at Molinos. I did not go to bed until 7am. Mariana (my host sister) went straight to her Monday class the next day. 

Thanks to everyone for who made it an amazing birthday!

Also congratulations Rachel and Dan on their engagement...mazel tov!

Machu Picchu: One of the seven wonders of the world

Yesterday I came home from my Spring Break in Peru. I feel I have been gone from Buenos Aires forever. I was way overdue for a blog entry.

I guess I will start with my Inca Jungle Trek. We left for Cusco on Friday morning and started our trek Saturday morning.

The first day we rode bicycles down the mountain. Puder successfully rode a bike by herself!

The second day our guide Jimmy John (yes his name was Jimmy John) offered us the option to go white water rafting.

The day after they they offered us a chance to go zip lining. Naturally we could not say no once they kept offering us these wonderful deals.

We did a lot of hiking and trekking through the mountain. We were able to walk to same path as the Incas. Our tour guide taught us about the chasquis or runners who would send messages for the Inca civilization. Basically one chasqui would run a long distance and then pass the message to the next chasqui. 

The last day we finally went to Machu Picchu. In 2007 Machu Picchu was voted a new addition to the seven wonders of the world. 
We woke up at 3 in the morning because the first 400 people to climb Machu Picchu are given a permit to climb Wayna Picchu. It was pitch black and I had to use peoples surrounding lights to see up the mountain.

The six of us made it to the top of the mountain.

Machu Picchu was so amazing. I literally could not put my camera down.

We climbed on the back side of the mountain and the view was incredible. We were literally sitting in the clouds.

After our tour of Machu Picchu we hiked to the top of Wayna Picchu. We were able to see the top of Machu Picchu from a birds eye view.

We took a lovely nap at the top of Wayna Picchu. We were pretty tired. They literally asked us to leave because apparently everyone must leave by 2pm. Machu Picchu closes at 5pm. We spent almost 12 hours there.

My feet dangling on top of Wayna Picchu.

My favorite picture of Machu Picchu.

Overall Machu Picchu lived up to its expectation and in reality was more than I could imagine.


The next three days were a low of my trip. I finally got super sick after the intense hike, elevation, and water in Peru. One day I slept 18 hours in Cusco. I wish I hadn't missed the city, but I needed to rest.


We headed to Lima for the end of our trip. We took a free walking tour of the city and learned a lot about the history of the Incas and the Spanish. We also went on a shopping spree. Apparently llamas are a big hit in Peru and I bought a warm, comfy llama sweater. 


The last night we celebrated Alana aka slani's 21st birthday in Lima. 
6 more days until my 21st!

Patagonia

This past week I had no class on Thursday or Friday for Semana Santa (Easter Break). Brittney and I went to Patagonia to celebrate the holiday. We missed Tuesday and Wednesday class because we wanted more time for our epic adventure. Plus school is completely overrated.

Tuesday

I had to wake up at 4:30am to catch our 6:30am flight to El Calafate. We arrived at noon to our hostel and got down straight to business. We took a boat to the Perito Moreno ice glacier.

La Semana Santa is considered the last weekend for the on-season tourism. The weather was definitely rough - especially when we attempted to take pictures on the deck of the boat.

After the boat ride we took a walk to another side of the glacier for some more pictures. 

Brittney and I also met this Australian couple spending five months traveling through almost every country in South America. This was the start of many encounters with our favorite couple. We some how ended up staying at the same hostel with them, eating at the same restaurant, or just bumping in to them on the street. I guess it was just meant to be.

Wednesday

On Wednesday we took a bus from El Calafate to El Chalten. Patagonia is absolutely gorgeous that even the bus ride I could not stop taking pictures.

We took another boat to the glacier Viedma.

After our boat trip we all went ice trekking. First we took a 20 minute hike up to reach the glaciers.

They gave us spikes for our shoes to dig into the snow.

The water was clean enough at the top of the trek to drink straight from the river. Considering I am still alive, I guess the guides were not lying. The guides surprised us with Baileys, which we drank on the rocks (from the ice glaciers).

We also met this great family from Venezuela. It was another great opportunity to practice Spanish. I honestly learn more from conversations with locals than any classroom experience. We eventually changed to English when we realized the whole family was bilingual and we just sounded silly…

Thursday

I am proud to say this was the only day I showered on my whole excursion. Showering is a bit overrated if you ask me. Honestly it becomes a nuisance when you are traveling and hiking.

After my one moment of cleanliness, Brittney and I headed on a trail to find a waterfall. One of the perks of traveling in autumn is all of the trees are changing colors.

After dinner, Brittney and I returned to our hostel to meet Ushuaians (the Southern most city in Argentina). Nosotros practicamos español mucho (We practiced Spanish a lot). They invited us to “rage” at the local La Tangoria. I had my first official Tango lesson. Needless to say, I was absolutely horrific.

Friday

During our travels, Brittney and I also met two Israelis. Somehow they convinced us that we should go camping with them. We were pretty much set on NOT going for a few reasons…and by a few reasons I mainly mean the weather. It was going to be freezing, windy, hailing, etc. But after we talked to Poppy, an English girl from our hostel who had camped the night before, we agreed. We headed to the store and rented/bought gloves, pants, jackets, hats, neck warmers, tents, and sleeping bags. If we were going to do this, we were coming prepared.

The walk up the mountain was absolutely gorgeous. It took us about 4 hours to complete a 3 hour hike because we took so many pictures.

We finally made it to Poincenot our campsite. We saw other crazy people camping at our campsite so we knew we were not the only insane people out there. We literally had to clear away the snow to set up our tents.

For dinner the Israelis brought two gas tanks to cook tea, soup, and spaghetti.

Normally when I camp we always have a campfire, but this was a nice change. It was surprisingly warm in our tent with the body heat, the gas stove, and the -10 degrees sleeping back.

We went to bed at midnight and the only problem with sleeping was the noise of the howling wind. I was a little cold, but for the most part I was surprisingly comfortable.

We woke up at five am to start preparing for our hike up to Fitz Roy. Fitz Roy is the quintessential image of Argentina. If you were to look at any guidebook, you would probably see a picture of the Fitz Roy mountain peak. 
After eating matzah-brei (we were traveling with Israelis on Passover), we started heading up the mountain.

It was one of the hardest hikes I have ever done. We only had two lights for four people. The weather was insane: it was windy, hailing, snowing, and raining. My ankle has also regressed from the past week from not properly resting and icing it. To top all of that, Brittney and I also had a bus to catch at 12:30pm. 

We finally made it to the top to see our sunrise. It was extremely cloudy, but it was still a gorgeous view of the lagoon at the top.

After a couple of minutes for pictures, it was time to start our race down the mountain. Going down the mountain was almost as equally hard as going up it. It was extremely slippery from the ice and I definitely ate it a few times. At points I was literally sliding down on my butt like a sled. We reached our campsite at 9:30 and had 3 hours to get down the hill, return our rentals, pick up our belongings from the hostel, and go to the bus station. Brittney and I literally ran down the mountain. We somehow made it in less than two hours. My ankle was dying by the end, but the whole trip was totally worth it. We even had time to buy peanuts and fruit before our bus. I still cannot believe we made out bus. It was so stressful at the time, but now that everything worked out I can look back with such fond memories.

All in all it was an amazing trip. It was also great to travel with only one person. It is amazing the number of people you meet and the crazy, random experiences you have. I still cannot believe we went camping in that weather…